Start Over Again
by RA1NB0WFlavoredBagel
Summary: A troubled, young man named Derik is arrested when he's caught killing his wealthy, abusive father in self defense; his verdict is death. But, fate grants him one last chance to change his destiny. In the magical land of Equestria, he begins life anew.
1. Prologue: Give Me Death

**Start Over Again  
**Written by: RA1NB0WFlavoredBagel

_A troubled, young man named Derik is arrested when he's caught killing his wealthy, abusive father in self-defense; his verdict is death. But, fate grants him one last chance to change his destiny. In the magical land of Equestria, he begins life anew._

**Prologue  
**Give Me Death

Footsteps echoed from afar. The shadowy figures of security guards panned across the distant walls. He sat quietly, hands shaking uncontrollably. Tears poured down his cheeks like an endless stream. Each one held a memory of something he could've changed. Funny how a month ago, he held his fate firm. His sophomore year had just ended. Now, fate readied itself to strip him of everything, his life included.

Many knew him as Derik Caldwell, son of the wealthiest business man on the east coast United States. But, they didn't know his father's secret. Derik suffered painful lashings, beatings, and labors; his father held supreme control over most of his life. While others saw the "generous" side of his father at charity donations, Derik knew that it served as a mere lie...a cover up to what his father really was.

One night, he finally snapped. The young man people viewed as passive had transformed into a vengeful creature they couldn't recognize. All sanity slipped through his fingers as he held the barrel of the gun up to his father's head.

_His father held a knife up to his son's throat. He really wanted Derik dead this time. But, Derik wasn't ready to die. He knew where the gun was, and his father remained clueless to its presence, as he had hid it for such an occasion. _

_Without really thinking, Derik dashed for his bedroom, his father not far behind. He dove under his bed and grasped the handle of the firearm. As fast as he could, he waited for his father to smash down the door. Sure enough, his enraged father managed to break through the door's locks.  
_

_Derik's father stormed the room with knife in hand. Derik grabbed both of his assailant's wrists, forcing them into a deadlock. After minutes of rustling about, he managed to twist his dad's wrist into submission, and the knife fell onto the floor. In a quick instant, Derik bashed the end of the gun across his father's face, leaving him thrashed on the ground.  
_

_His father looked up to notice the barrel of the gun pointing directly at his forehead.  
_

"_You'll regret this, you hear?! You'll be sorry!" his father yelled, angrily gritting his teeth in disgust._

"_No," Derik scoffed, "you'll be sorry."_

A white flash clouded his mind, then. But that was alright; he already knew what happened next.

His father's blood stained his hands, even long after the blood had washed away. Every time Derik looked down at his palms, the blood splatters remained visible. It stayed a haunting reminder of his actions. His eyes glanced around the bland, concrete room; a clock hung on the wall behind him, acting as a countdown to his ever nearing end.

Derik looked back at it, watching the hands inch ever so slowly across its face. Every tick echoed in his mind. He rolled his hands into fists. He wanted to punch something! Blame anything for his predicament. Alas, only he was to blame.

_I should've ran._ He thought, burying his face in his hands. _Why didn't I run?!_

His tears gathered in shallow puddles on the wooden table in front of him. He put his head down, pretending he could hide, pretending he could run away. But, reality smacked him as two, large men dressed in specialized suits entered the room. One of the men carried a container, and the other held a digital recorder.

The one holding the recorder sat down in the chair across from him. Derik felt a ringing sensation rattling his skull. All the stress started overflowing his sensory, and his emotions overflowed. He began weeping in front of the men; as undignified as it was, he hadn't any other means of conveying his sorrow.

"Derik Caldwell," the one sitting spoke, "you have been charged with the murder of Gregory Caldwell, your father and CEO of Cinder Industries."

Derik bit his lip at that remark. How could they have the nerve to remind him? Hadn't they the slightest care in the world? Could they easily replace his being?

His vision blurred as his hazel orbs eyed the table, avoiding looking into the man's eyes. He didn't comment on the statement, nor did he deny its truth. His voice kept silent, waiting for the inevitable.

The other man, who hadn't sat down at the table, pulled open the storage container, and from it, held a syringe in plain view. Derik's heart raced as he eyed the man filling the device with an acidic fluid. The young man wanted to vomit from the sudden anxiety plaguing him.

"You have been sentenced to death by lethal injection." The man sitting continued, now holding the recorder up to Derik, "Have you any last words?"

At first, the young man didn't reply. The florescent light seemed to grow dimmer as his heart began to accept his fate, though as young as he might be. His brown, jagged hair never got anywhere near gray, his eyes never gained a twinkle in them, and his skin never aged to form a single wrinkle. Just how much of his life had he thrown out the window that night? It was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

"Y-Yeah," Derik answered in a soft tone, "I…have some last words."

The man with the recorder nodded, and clicked in the button.

"I-I'm sorry for letting everyone down." He began, fighting the tears, "It was stupid to think killing that bastard would do anything to solve my problems. But if I…"

He trailed off for a moment, mustering his courage to speak.

"If I could do it all over again," he said between sobs, "I'd have done things differently. I wouldn't have…I wouldn't have…"

His mind broke loose. Crying once again, as his life fell to ruins right in front of him, he searched for something – ANYTHING he could grasp to hold on to. The men looked on him with pity, but alas, they had no other choice. Their jobs were clear, and that was to end his life. They were his executioners, sharpening their axe to cut him down.

"I think it's time to get this over with." The man said, clicking the button again. He put the recorder in his chest pocket, folding his hands neatly together on the table.

Derik nodded instinctively, closing his eyes as tightly as he could. He felt the tip of the needle brush against the underside of his arm. The man handling the syringe drove it deep into the young man's arm. A massive surge of sudden pain surged through his body, yet he couldn't even scream.

The tears stopped flowing, the hands stopped shaking, and his body stopped trembling. He could still see them there, standing in front of him. But, he heard no sound. The feeling of drowning swallowed him up as his lungs desperately tried to find air for him to breathe.

As his heart started to slow down its beating, he felt a warmth envelope him. It felt familiar, like he had felt it before. There were words circulating, a voice that spoke to his soul.

"_Will we always be together?" _The angelic, soft voice called out.

The images of the horrid room he resided faded away. The poison flooding his veins had taken his eyes away, too.

In the silence, he could hear another voice reply,

"_Don't worry," _a young man's voice responded_, "I'll never leave you. We've gotta stick together, right?"_

The latter was _his_ voice; he was sure of it. The former, he couldn't recognize right away. It kind of sounded like a girl; a girl that he knew through school and most of his childhood. He could still imagine her rose-red hair, perfect complexion, and emerald green eyes. He remembered her soft frame pressing up against his broad chest as he lay contently next to her on her uncle's couch.

She proved the only thing worthy something in his life.

_I'm sorry, Angela,_ he thought as his heart grew still, _I couldn't keep our promise._

* * *

So, there you have it! That's the prologue to my latest story. Like always, review and tell me what you thought of it. If the pacing seems a bit rushed, well...it's a prologue. I wanted to ensure I didn't reveal to many plot devices in the mere prologue, you know? =D

Anyway, I'll have chapter 1 out soon, so don't worry about it. My prologues always tend to feel vague, shallow, and rushed. My later chapters won't have the same, sloppy design. lol


	2. You Only Live Twice?

**Chapter 2**

You Only Live…Twice?

_The sun neared the end of its shift, slowly disappearing from view in the sky. A little boy sat on the porch step, contemplating his next move. He didn't want to go home, not to the place he felt unwanted. Besides, as long as he didn't call, his dad wouldn't ever take notice of his absence. Still, sitting alone outside at someone else's house didn't exactly make for a great retreat._

"_You're still here, Derik?" he heard a soft voice ask from behind._

_He stood up and turned around to see little Angela standing there. Her rich, red hair was still twisted into two, cute pigtails, and she hadn't slipped into her pajamas yet. She obviously knew right away he hadn't left. Otherwise, she'd be asleep already. _

"_Yeah, I guess," the little boy replied meekly._

_Angela raised a brow, eyeing him curiously, "Won't your dad be worried?"_

_The little boy shook his head frantically, a rush of panic waving over him. "No!" the boy exclaimed. "You can't tell him I'm here! I'm not going home!"_

_His sudden outburst worried the little girl. They had played together all day at her uncle's house and never once did he act this jumpy. Not only that, but she had no father. Her mother and uncle watched over her. She would do anything to have her father back, so why did this boy hate his father so much?_

_For a while, the two starred at each other for some time. They spoke not a single word, and it was so quiet, they could easily hear the cricket chirping in the grass alongside the house._

"_Do you hate your father?" Angela suddenly asked._

_Derik's eyes grew wide, and a cool sweat dripped down his neck. He hadn't expected such a question from her. Furthermore, how was he to answer such a thing? His emotions mixed and blended all the time, and it proved difficult to separate them at times. _

"_I…I don't…" his voice trailed, thinking carefully over his choice of words, "I don't know, alright?"_

_Angela smiled and gave him a nod. He knew then that she wasn't going to say a word. Derik smiled back, wrapping his arms around her. _

"_Thank you." He said._

"_Just promise you won't go missing, okay?" the little girl giggled._

"_I promise."_

Darkness stretched on for eternity. Whether his eyes were open wide or closed shut, Derik couldn't tell the difference. A tremendous pressure pushed up against his backside like a heavy, iron fist. He was plummeting, freefalling through the air for who knew how long. A rising fear formed in his mind as to where this seeming infinite tunnel led. Just where would he end up when this all ended?

A loud static crackled in his ears. It was a painful sound that made him cringe. It sounded reminiscent to a young woman's scream. As he continued descending through the darkness, the static grew louder and louder. The pain, in turn, became much more concentrated; his head felt ready to explode.

Suddenly, the static dissipated into nothingness, and he continued falling in utter silence. In the midst of the silence, his mind calmed itself. His consciousness felt as though it was slowly returning, defying his fate completely. After a few moments of meditative silence passed him by, he heard a voice call out in the distance.

The words it spoke sounded muffled and scrambled, and he couldn't make out even the slightest sentence. Even then, he somehow felt that it was calling out to him, regardless if he could hear it or not.

Derik tried to shout out a reply, to say anything to it. But, his lips refuse his orders, unwilling to budge even the tiniest bit to break his mute suspense. Although, if he could move his lips, what would he say? So many questions crammed his already confused mind, and he hadn't a clue what he'd ask. Perhaps he just wanted to be heard.

The harsh pressure pushing up against his face finally vanished. But, his body was still moving forward, almost as if he were now flying through the air. The nauseating, sinking feeling in his stomach had finally gone away as well.

After moments of lighthearted gliding, an abrupt drop caught him off guard. Finally, his body had reached a solid ground, though it felt shiftier than he had expected it to be. It was soft and puffy, almost like cotton candy or a pillow beneath his weight. From the way his body sank into it, Derik was struck as surprised that it could support him.

"Hey," he heard a voice call out, "are you okay? Hey!"

Derik recognized the sound. It belonged to the same voice calling out to him earlier. The words were louder and more fluid, and he could hear its feminine tone. It belonged to a girl. The youth tried once more to answer the disembodied voice, yet he still found himself unable to do so.

"Come on, answer me!" the voice demanded, its tone full of concern. "Is anypony in there?"

Derik felt something grab at his shoulders. However, they didn't feel like hands at all. Whatever grabbed him lacked palms and fingers of any sort, and seemed a bit flatter at the tip. The oddities began shaking him violently to force a response out of him. The shock finally gave him a spark of strength, his eyes' muscles twitching a bit here and there.

With his newfound ounce of strength, Derik slowly inched open his eyelids, revealing his hazel beauties. The images were blurry and covered in a glossy fog, but he could make certain things out. He noticed a pair of cerise eyes were staring back at him. At first, he didn't respond, blankly staring at the orbs gazing into his soul. The eyes belonged to a strangely shaped figure that he couldn't recognize at first sight.

The creature stood on its fours, its head was of a completely different shape than that of a human's, and it possessed a tail at its rear. It took Derik a moment to gather his thoughts before he realized what the creature was.

_A pony? What's a pony doing here?_ Derik thought, head still pounding from the previous trauma.

"So, somepony _is _in that thick skull." The voice called out again.

Derik tried to find the speaker to which the voice belonged to. He rolled his head to the left, then the right, and finally looked back up at the pony staring at him. No one else resided near him, save for the equine eyeing him up. As much as he wanted to stand up on his feet and investigate for himself, his body ignored his command, and lie motionlessly on the soft surface.

"Well," the voice began impatiently, "say something, already!"

As the voice demanded him to speak, he noticed the lips of the pony were moving and that its attention was focused upon him. His eyes widened, and his mind raced like wildfire. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but…

_The pony's the one talking?!_ Derik couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

Derik gathered a bit more energy, took a deep breath, and replied weakly, "You…you're a…talking pony."

The images his eyes received became clearer, and the pony's figure became more detailed as it sat down next to him. Her blue coat looked smooth and silky to touch, and her mane and tail consisted of many vivid colors that struck Derik with a sense of awe. Never before had he seen so many colors on one creature, let alone a talking pony.

As he rolled his head to look at her again, he noticed her face looked rather annoyed. Had he said something wrong?

"Uh, yeah." the pony responded, "We kinda do that."

"W-We…?" Derik asked, his voice full of strain.

The blue equine nodded, looking at him confusedly, "We're both talking, aren't we?"

Derik felt as if another headache were coming on. One minute, he was plummeting into infinity. The next, a talking pony is speaking with him. There were too many gaps in the logic behind the phenomenon for him to understand even a sliver of it.

With a bit of effort, he managed to hold his hand in front of his face, or at least, he thought it'd be his hand. Derik trembled, crazy with fear as he gazed at the strangeness before his eyes. The limb extended out in front of him was more of a leg covered in a black coat, lacking any palm or fingers whatsoever, and flat toward the tip. It was the leg of a pony!

As if by miracle, a massive burst of strength mixed with anxiety overwhelmed the poor youth. His body convulsed, his limbs jittering with all the pain held in suspension from the time he was injected. Derik let out a cry of pain and agony as his vertebrae seemed to twist and bend an awkward ways.

The blue pony rushed in to intervene, grabbing the youth by his front legs and holding him down on the puffy surface they both stood upon.

"What's wrong?!" she asked, receiving no comprehensible answer from the alarmed youth.

As she held him firmly with her hooves, he looked back off the edge of the surface he had been residing on. There was nothing but sky and tiny ants down below. It was then that Derik realized, the thing supporting him happened to be a mere cloud.

Out of panic and frustration, Derik flailed about. His rampant movements became a bit too much for the rainbow-mane pony to handle, and his hind legs manages to thrust deep into her underside, pushing her back off of him. The force of the kick pushed Derik, too; his body no longer held by the cloud, Derik found himself plummeting downward yet again.

Derik saw the ground below approaching at a steadfast rate, his heart in more of a panic than ever before. His eyes widened as the fear of dying yet again became clear. But, out of seemingly nowhere, he noticed the familiar equine soaring down through the air to retrieve him.

His eyes looked on with wonder as he noticed the blue, feathered wings extending from the pony's sides.

_She's a pegasus…_ Derik thought, his mind clearing up a bit as the pain slowly diminished.

A rainbow colored stream of light trailed behind her as she grabbed hold of him. With Derik safely in hand, the pegasus descended to the ground below, dropping the traumatized Derik onto a patch of grass. He once again lay on his backside like before, this time more relaxed.

"What the hay was that all about?!" the blue pegasus did not look amused. She wore an angered expression on her face, and her eyes seemed to now glare at him in disapproval.

Derik caught his breath, now fully aware of his surroundings. Using his new body's limbs, Derik struggled up onto all fours. Though the limbs were not familiar, and the body did not feel the same, standing on all four hooves somehow felt like second nature.

He looked at the blue pegasus, who still awaited an explanation. Swallowing any pride left over, he replied, "I'm sorry. I'm just…a little off, I guess."

The pegasus noticed the genuine guilt in his hazel eyes, and backed off her antagonizing tone. She sighed, approaching the ruffled stallion.

"No harm I guess," she said. "The name's Rainbow Dash."

She held out her hoof, waiting for him to grab hold of it. His balance was a bit wobbly at first, but he managed to grip it, and give her a shake.

"Derik," he said, "my name's Derik."

Rainbow Dash gave him a curious grin, "Derik, huh?" she asked. "Well, Derik, care to explain why a pegasus like you can't fly?" Her tone gave the hint she was joking, but in reality, caught Derik by surprise.

Focusing his attention inward, he happened to feel something on the side of his body. He hadn't been able to notice the wings at his sides before. They spread and retracted at his command, and they seemed to be able to bend as well. The new stallion found the perks of his new form very intriguing, though he didn't understand how he had received them.

"Funny thing," Derik answered, "I guess I'm just a little off, today."

"A little?!" Rainbow laughed, "You nearly kissed the ground…twice!"

"Yeah," Derik blushed, "I should've stayed in bed today."

Rainbow nodded, "Maybe you _should_ catch some shut eye."

"Catch you later!" she exclaimed.

With that, the pegasus spread out her wings and took her leave. Derik was left alone again to contemplate the events transpiring.

He had wanted to tell her the truth. Lying didn't make him feel any better about it, but he doubted that Rainbow would've believed him, anyway. Considering that he had already been on shaky terms with her from plowing his hind legs into her, he wasn't willing to risk getting on her nerves any further.

Gathering his composure, Derik surveyed his surroundings. Rainbow Dash had dropped him in a grassy field alongside a dirt road. The left end of the road led to seemingly nowhere close, while the right end housed a town in the distance. With nowhere to go, and no idea exactly where he was, the young stallion set course for the town.

Putting one hoof in front of the other, Derik set out for the unknown.


	3. A Strange, New Place

**Chapter 2**

A Strange, New Place

Derik stood on the dirt road where Rainbow Dash had left him to his own devices. The town looked so very far, and he remained unsure of whether he'd be able to make it or not. This strange, new body felt nothing like his old one. Even the simple task of keeping balance provided a considerable challenge. However, with nowhere else to go, the young stallion persevered.

Carefully placing each hoof in front of the other, Derik attempted to make gradual baby steps to give him a feel for his new, handless limbs. His legs wobbled here and there, and occasionally he lost his balance, but he refused to cave in. He held his head high, though a terrible embarrassment made his stomach ill. He hated this feeling; whereas he could once fend for himself, now he relied heavily on others. This crippling factor made him seethe with frustration.

Parts of the path were still moist and muddy from the rain that had only passed through recently. Derik's poor hooves continued to stick against the thick, caked layers of mud. Pulling them out was never an easy feat. Each time he pulled a hoof out from the muddy trail, it whacked his balance into a tailspin. Unable to support himself, Derik fell forward, his face splashing into the remains of a puddle left to dry in the sun.

The awful taste of filth that managed to make it into his mouth made him gag in disgust. He quickly spat it out before pushing up on his front legs to sit up on his rump. As he looked down at the mud-filled puddle below, he could see a murky image of himself. Despite it being his own reflection, it still felt as though it belonged to that of a stranger.

_Is this what I look like…now?_ Derik thought, tears welling in his eyes.

A brown, jagged mane that ran down the back of his head and neck replaced the hair he had proudly donned on his head as a human. It looked similar; even the strands that covered his eyes as a teen where still present. Heck, even his tail had mimicked the same jagged design as his mane.

The slick, jet black coat covering his new body replaced the skin he had been born with. Unlike his mane, the coat felt dissimilar in every way; even the color made no sense. In his life as a human, Derik had a ghost-white complexion, so it baffled the youth to see himself in such dark colors.

His hazel eyes had also taken on a slightly different form. They were of a larger size, and the irises had followed suite. At least their colors hadn't changed, though.

The wings at his sides matched his coat completely. As he focused his mind, he stretched and receded them without any issue. Upon spreading as far as they could, they seemed slightly larger than Rainbow Dash's wings from earlier. Out of all the changes he had undergone, this was the one he could live with. The idea of flying freely through the sky was fantastic. However, walking and other leg movements would have to be mastered first. On top of that, it didn't change the fact he longed for his former body.

A single tear drop fell onto the puddle's surface, rippling his reflection until he could no longer see himself. No more tears fell after that. Derik sucked up his emotions until they careened into the depths of his thoughts. He raised his hind legs to stand on all fours yet again, a sense of determination sparked in his eyes.

Whoever did this, Derik didn't care anymore. It didn't matter who they were or where they were from, Derik was going to get his answers, no matter what he had to do.

He continued onward down the ever-winding path. He still found himself leaning from side to side, though his balance seemed to improve as time progressed. The risk of him falling down again decreased as he pushed his hooves forward in synchronicity. Awkward as it was, the rhythm of how his legs should cooperate became clearer.

Derik moved at an increasing pace, despite the waning hours of daylight he had remaining. The sun sailed down below the horizon, painting the landscape a beautiful, golden orange. The scorching heat the afternoon had brought forth finally weakened to a tolerable temperature. As for Derik, the end of his daylong trek approached with great swiftness.

The town lie just a few yards ahead. Derik's jaw dropped at the very sight of it. As small as it appeared from a great distance, the town was not at all small like he had imagined it. For a moment, the young stallion thought it to be a dream or a mere fantasy. But, no matter how hard he rubbed his eyes in disbelief, the wondrous structures of the town remained standing.

Many cottages occupied the town's landscape. Although they differed in shape and size, they shared the same color scheme and outward design. Their placement, however, appeared random. Derik could find no rhyme or reason as to how they were placed. It was a strange mixture of consistency and inconsistency that intrigued him to no end.

A tall structure, seemingly located in the town's center, jutted out from the rest, a flag waving proudly in air. It towered over pretty much every other building surrounding it, and its domed roof reminded Derik of the capital building in Washington D.C. Though, he knew it couldn't be possible. The fact that ponies could construct structures with such mastery left Derik rather impressed.

Organizing his thoughts, Derik headed toward the bridge that crossed the river bordering the mystical place. The bridge itself also shared the town's outward design. Upon taking his first step onto the bridge's wooden surface, a sudden loud clack caught him by surprise. The young stallion jumped back, landing on his backside. His heart soared for a second or two, and then returned to normal.

Derik regained his composure, and stepped out onto the bridge again. The same noise sounded. It was just the sound of his own hooves tapping off of the old, wooden boards. Derik was still unused to the fact his steps produced much more noise, now. Whether it was true or his imagination, the hefty sounds of his hooves gave him the sense he had grown much heavier than before.

The young stallion crossed the bridge and headed into the town. The golden glow of the setting sun took its leave, handing control over to the moon for the time being. The cottages had their doors closed, and everyone seemed to have closed up for the day. Derik, on the other hand, perused the signs hanging from the sides of shops and other buildings as he explored the town's streets.

The streetlamps provided a source of light for the wandering stallion. He saw some ponies out and about, but found it difficult to speak to them. A part of him wanted nothing to do with anyone in this world. He held no contempt towards them. That wasn't the issue. Derik did not want to appear helpless or ignorant towards anyone. So, as stealthily as he could, the stallion used his jet black coat to an advantage and clung heavily to the shadows, avoiding any and all light that he could.

He heard the distant clacking of hooves that definitely didn't belong to him. He hid cautiously in the crack between two buildings, trying desperately to stay hidden. He saw two ponies walking alongside one another. Their coats illuminated as they passed under the streetlamp in front of his safe haven. The one pony's coat was a vivid orange, its mane and tail had a blonde appearance to it, and upon closer observation, it wore a cowboy hat on its head.

The other pony's coat was a baby blue, its mane and tail had a familiar array of colors, and a pair of wings rested at its sides. Almost immediately, he recognized who it was. Such an appearance remained hard to forget so easily.

_Rainbow Dash?!_ Derik thought in surprise.

He hadn't expected to come across her so soon after she departed from him. Whether it was by fate or dumb luck, Derik could no longer deny something seemed awfully too coincidental.

Suddenly, they stopped dead in their tracks, and faced each other. Derik felt uneasy as they stood not even a meter away from him. Had they discovered his presence already? The young stallion remained dead silent, refraining from even moving the slightest muscle until he knew it was clear.

"I'm tellin' you, Rainbow, them varmints are causin' me all kind of headaches." The unrecognizable pony spoke in a southern drawl.

"Why didn't you get Fluttershy to help you with it?" Rainbow answered in a sarcastic tone.

"I was gonna do that," the other pony replied, "but she ain't comin' back from the Everfree Forest 'til tomorrow evening."

"Oh, right." Rainbow Dash said with a sheepish grin, "Zecora needed her help with something important or whatever."

The orange pony nodded, sighing heavily with grief. "Think you could lend a hand tomorrow morning, if it ain't too much trouble?"

Rainbow nodded, a wide grin on her face, "Too much trouble, for me? Please! I'll have the problem solved before you can blink!"

They laughed for a bit before shaking hooves on their arrangement. It amused Derik to see a hoof shake, as appose to a handshake. The amusement was short lived, however, and as soon as the two ponies were far enough away, Derik continued to tread cautiously through the darkened corners of the town.

Some places were difficult to traverse, as the streetlamps made it hard to stick close to the shadows. Derik found himself constantly pushed towards corners whilst avoiding the lights.

He continued his exploration until he finally came across a clearing. A large structure, presumably constructed out of a grand oak tree stood by its lonesome in the center of the wide opening. Derik noticed the lights coming from inside and grew hesitant as to whether or not he should proceed.

Derik bent down on his knees until he was low enough that the blades of grass brushed up against his belly. The stealthy stallion crept quickly toward the tree. He carefully avoided the light protruding from the windows, stretching out onto the grass. When he was close enough up to lean against the stump, he made his way towards the backside of the structure.

He stayed there awhile. No one was approaching him, nor did he hear presumptions that he was about. He felt safe there. Unfortunately, the safety of his hiding place would dissipate faster than his mind could process.

Without any kind of warning whatsoever, Derik's body became enveloped in a warm, purple aura. The strange power effortlessly lifted him up off the ground. The young stallion's eyes widened, and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. He hadn't the slightest clue of how he got caught, or who even caught him.

"What are you doing back here?" a sharp, stern voice called out. It sounded almost maternal in a way.

Derik looked down from where the power suspended him to see a lavender coated unicorn with a complimentary mane and tail standing below him. Her eyes looked to be glaring. Derik could see her horn was glowing with the same, matching aura that entrapped him. She had to be the source of the power.

_They have superpowers too?_ Derik thought, stricken crazily with fear.

"I thought I heard someone sneaking around." The unicorn said, her eyes scanning him over.

"You _heard_ me? From inside?" Derik asked, finding it hard to believe her.

"Yeah, she's paranoid like that." Another voice interjected.

A small, purple dragon with emerald green scales and matching eyes walked out in front of the unicorn, leaning his elbow against her front leg.

"Spike?" the unicorn addressed the creature, "I thought you went to bed."

"Nah," Spike replied, "not yet. Besides, looks like something exciting's going on out here. Am I right?"

The unicorn rolled her eyes before redirecting her attention to her captured intruder. Though she seemed suspicious of his actions, he saw no contempt or anger in her eyes; just suspicion.

"Look, I'm sorry," Derik pleaded, "I'm just passing through."

The unicorn dragged him closer to her, and responded, "Just passing through? Then where are you from?"

Derik was caught off guard. The spotlight focused on him, yet he hadn't an adequate answer to her questions. With much hesitation and regret, he replied with the honest truth.

"I don't know."

The unicorn's eyes suddenly switched from a glare to a surprised glance. The power surrounding him diminished, and he fell face first onto the ground below.

"You don't know where you're from?" Spike looked just as confused as his unicorn companion.

The two approached the disoriented Derik, and helped him to his hooves. "I'm sorry," the unicorn began, "I thought you were some kind of thief. I didn't realize you were traveling."

"But if you were just passing through," Spike once again interrupted, "then why did Twilight here catch you sneaking around?"

"Well, _excuse me_ for not wanting to wake anyone." Derik replied hotly, shaking off the remnants of his dizziness. While the answer was true, he also snuck around to avoid being noticed. He feared getting involved in this strange, new world.

The unicorn sighed, dismissing her companion's remark, and held out a hoof to Derik. "My name is Twilight Sparkle," she introduced, "and may I know your name?"

Derik grabbed hold of her hoof with his own, and though he wobbled for a quick second, he quickly balanced his weight between the three unused legs.

"It's Derik." He responded swiftly.

"Derik, huh?" Twilight said, "It has a nice ring to it."

Derik scratched his head, his cheeks blushing a subtle, rosy red. Her compliment was flattering, but it seemed odd that only a few moments ago, she served as his capturer, and now she wanted his friendship. His brain ran circles just trying to make sense out of it all.

"The name's Spike," Spike said as he hopped onto Twilight's back, "nice to meet ya!"

Derik put on a fake smile and pretended to be interested, though admittedly he couldn't care less about their names or who they were.

"Why don't you rest here for the night?" Twilight suggested.

Derik blinked, his face wearing a dumbfounded expression, as he found the attitude shift far too lenient. He snuck around their property, yet they easily believe him to be a wanderer with no recollection of his home? It made him feel rather uneasy.

"I don't think-"

"Come on," Spike interrupted him, "you ought to sleep before heading out again, right?"

Derik muttered beneath his breath. He already knew how this situation was going to go down. Despite his reluctance towards the offer, he gave her a nod.

"Fine. But just _one night_."

As they entered the house, Twilight shut the door behind them.

* * *

IMPORTANT, READ BEFORE REVIEWING!**  
**

Many will probably ask me, "Why in the name of CELESTIA did he have to sneak around?" To avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications, I've compiled an explanation. (lol, BIG WORDS!)

Derik, as a character, is independent and hates others watching out for him. Therefor, when he doesn't want to attach himself to this new world, he dismisses the reaching out of others. On top of that, he didn't want to wake anyone. XD

Speaking of time, I understand the time elapse in this chapter is a little messed up. I had to rewrite this chapter several times, and this is the best I got it to sound. Sorry if it's confusing. Basically, the chapter starts directly after chapter one, (late morning), and ends toward the end of the day (nearly midnight).

As always, please review, and thanks to everyone for supporting me and my stories. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you all enjoy reading my work. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the story as it unfolds.


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